PAUL LAWRIE OPENS NEW KEMNAY PRACTICE FACILITY

Paul Lawrie opens the new Kemnay GC practice facility. Picture  by Rob Eyton-Jones)

NEWS RELEASE ISSUED BY CLUBGOLF
A new facility that will give children in the Kemnay area one of the best opportunities in the north east to develop their golfing skills was officially opened on Monday by former Open Champion, Paul Lawrie MBE, Scottish Golf Development Manager, Andy Salmon, and clubgolf Manager, Jackie Davidson.
In 2004 Kemnay Golf Club was one of the first in Scotland to see the potential of offering the national junior golf programme, clubgolf, launched as a legacy for Scotland’s staging of the 2014 Ryder Cup.
Today the club has over 40 children on its clubgolf coaching programme, 20 fully trained volunteer coaches and the backing of its Pro, David Brown, to deliver advanced stages of the programme.
“Seven years ago we didn't have a junior section, there were no junior competitions, no organised junior coaching at all,” said Club Captain Craig Sangster.
“Then Richard Temple took over as junior convenor and together with our volunteer coaches has pumped new life into it. We are already seeing juniors that started seven years ago coming through and playing in the adult competitions. The next two or three years we expect one or two of the juniors to contend for the club championships.”
Kemnay has engaged with the local community, creating strong links with schools in a 10 mile radius offering clubgolf’s introductory game through sportscotland’s Active Schools network. As a direct result Kemnay’s junior programme became so popular that in 2009 demand had almost outstripped its facilities. A dedicated junior facility was needed.
Then club captain and clubgolf volunteer coach, Martyn Paterson applied to sportscotland for a lottery grant. The resulting £46,000 award, through sportscotland’s Building for Sport programme, which was matched twice over by the club, allowed them to buy and develop 10 acres of adjoining farmland.
Today, former Open Champion Paul Lawrie, who as a junior developed and honed many of his skills on the Kemnay course, opened new facilities which will support the development of the area’s juniors.
The new facility is a six hole par three mini course, with holes between 100 and 150 yards long, a short game practice area, with covered driving bays and artificial mats, and a full size green and bunkers for short game practice. sportscotland worked with the club and clubgolf’s Grampian Regional Manager, Audra Booth, to develop the project.
“It is fantastic that Paul, who grew up in the Kemnay area, played some of his first golf here and who has been very supportive to the club in recent years, is here today to open this fabulous new facility,” said Craig Sangster.
“So many people have been involved in its development; past captain Martyn Paterson has been the driving force behind the new facilities, whilst our greens staff and members have put in a huge amount of time and effort creating them.
“It has been a long road but suddenly we have got something that we are really proud of and obviously we hope to see some of the new juniors coming through, playing in the team and one day winning club championships.”
Paul Lawrie is both a long term supporter of Kemnay Golf Club, taking part in the club’s annual pro-am, and, through his Paul Lawrie Foundation, a champion for junior golf in Scotland.
“I am delighted to be opening this excellent facility at Kemnay Golf Club,” he said. “The club has developed a large area of land into a great facility, one which now has some of the best facilities in the north east of Scotland.
“The team here are obviously working very hard and I can see it is paying off. I am certain that there will be many more youngsters coming through the ranks as a result of the club’s junior coaching programme and the new facilities.
“Who knows, maybe some of the youngsters who develop their skills at Kemnay might go on to progress to playing at the highest levels of the game. There is no doubt they have everything here they need to develop their potential.”
Said Audra Booth, clubgolf’s Grampian Regional Manager, “Kemnay’s clubgolf programme has grown from strength to strength since they started their coaching sessions, and with the forward thinking of Richard and his volunteer coaches this can only get better in the years to come.
“The new facility will mean that the children will be able to play on a purpose built course to suit their needs as beginners, and practice all parts of their game.”


Rob Eyton-Jones
clubgolf Media Manager
t: 07775 746981
e: rob@eyton-jones.co.uk
Official clubgolf website: www.clubgolfscotland.com